U.S. patent number 5,360,145 [Application Number 08/082,358] was granted by the patent office on 1994-11-01 for dispenser for at least one liquid or pasty product comprising a closure system that allows no ingress of air, and preservation process using the said dispenser.
This patent grant is currently assigned to L'Oreal. Invention is credited to Jean-Louis H. Gueret.
United States Patent |
5,360,145 |
Gueret |
November 1, 1994 |
Dispenser for at least one liquid or pasty product comprising a
closure system that allows no ingress of air, and preservation
process using the said dispenser
Abstract
Dispenser for cosmetic or pharmaceutical products, including a
container and a dispensing head attached to the container. The
dispensing head includes a dispensing channel connecting the
container to an external dispensing orifice. Part of the dispensing
head, which defines the channel, is made of a synthetic polymer
material and at least one of an antiseptic agent and an antioxidant
agent.
Inventors: |
Gueret; Jean-Louis H. (Paris,
FR) |
Assignee: |
L'Oreal (Paris,
FR)
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Family
ID: |
9432091 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/082,358 |
Filed: |
June 28, 1993 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Jul 21, 1992 [FR] |
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92 08976 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
222/190;
222/321.1; 222/95; 222/494; 222/207; 222/105 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B05B
11/0005 (20130101); B05B 11/0067 (20130101); B05B
11/0072 (20130101); B05B 11/3016 (20130101); B05B
11/00412 (20180801); B05B 11/007 (20130101); A61J
1/1443 (20130101); B05B 11/0029 (20130101); A61J
1/1468 (20150501) |
Current International
Class: |
B05B
11/00 (20060101); B67D 005/58 () |
Field of
Search: |
;222/145,105,107,95,207,209,215,190,321,494 ;523/122
;524/398,399 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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0410857 |
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Jan 1991 |
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EP |
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58-64966 |
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Apr 1983 |
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JP |
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Other References
French Patent Office Search Report dated Mar. 16, 1993. .
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 13, No. 529, 27 Nov. 1989, Abstract
of JP1215364 (Serutetsuku), Aug. 29, 1989, in English..
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Primary Examiner: Huson; Gregory L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Staas & Halsey
Claims
I claim:
1. Dispenser for at least one of a liquid and pasty product,
comprising:
(a) a container holding the product; and
(b) a head for dispensing the product, said head having a
dispensing channel that connects the container to an external
dispensing orifice, the channel being provided, at the dispensing
orifice, with a closure system that allows substantially no ingress
of air,
wherein the dispensing head includes an inserted part positioned
adjacent the dispensing channel and defining at least a portion of
the dispensing channel, said part being made of synthetic polymer
material and including at least one of an antiseptic agent and an
antioxidant agent which contacts the product, when the product is
in the dispensing channel, to prevent degradation of the product in
the dispensing channel.
2. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing head
comprises a fixed portion attached to the container, a valve that
cuts off communication between the container and the dispensing
channel, and a moving portion including a pumping system actuated
by the user.
3. Dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the moving portion of
the dispensing head is removable.
4. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the part of the
dispensing head is located at an end of the dispensing channel,
close to the dispensing orifice.
5. Dispenser according to claims 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the
antiseptic agent is a water-soluble salt of at least one of zinc,
copper and silver.
6. Dispenser according to claim 5, wherein the salt is a sulphate
salt.
7. Dispenser according to claims 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the
antioxidant agent is at least one of a gentistic, homogentisic,
pidolic, ascorbic and citric acids.
8. Dispenser according to claim 5, wherein the antiseptic agent
represents 0.01 to 50% by weight relative to the weight of the
synthetic polymer material.
9. Dispenser according to claim 7, wherein the antioxidant agent
represents 0.01 to 50% by weight relative to the weight of the
synthetic polymer material.
10. Dispenser according to claim 9, wherein the at least one
antiseptic agent and antioxidant agent is incorporated directly in
the synthetic polymer material.
11. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the at least one of an
antiseptic and an antioxidant agent is impregnated in a
support.
12. Dispenser according to claim 11, wherein the impregnated
support is at least one of saw dust, powdered wood, starch,
cellulose, silica, zeolite and clay.
13. Dispenser according to claims 11 or 12, wherein the impregnated
support represents 2 to 70% by weight of the synthetic polymer
material.
14. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the part is an elastic
material.
15. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the part is a
thermosetting polymer.
16. Dispenser according to claim 15, wherein the thermosetting
polymer is an aminoplastic resin.
17. Dispenser according to claim 16, wherein the aminoplastic resin
is a urea-formaldehyde resin.
18. Dispenser according to claim 15, wherein the thermosetting
polymer is a phenoplastic resin.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a dispensing device for at least one
liquid, or a more or less thick pasty product, that makes it
possible to dispense cosmetic or pharmaceutical products.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known for dispensers to consist of a container holding the
product to be dispensed and a dispensing head attached to the
container and incorporating a channel that connects the container
to an external dispensing orifice.
From EP-A 0 410 857, FR-A 2 660 877, FR-A 2 666 308 and the French
patent application 91 06 097, it is known for this external
dispensing orifice to be closed by a closure system comprising two
elements: a stopper and a seating, at least one of these two
elements being elastic. The two elements are in contact when no
dispensing is taking place but move apart by elastic deformation of
at least one of them under the pressure of the product being
dispensed. The stopper may consist either of a lip that moves away
from its seating by bending parallel to the direction in which the
product is emerging, or of a membrane with a slot placed under
constraint, or of a wedge on top of a flexible dome. The stopper is
preferably made of an elastic material and is subjected to the
action of a constraining body that tends to keep it pressed against
the seating to which it conforms. The seating may also be elastic,
but is more usually rigid.
The stopper-seating closure system may involve a dispensing head
that is entirely fixed, the head being attached to a deformable
container activated by the user, in which case the dispensing
channel will consist of a rectilinear passage or may have various
segments at an angle to one another. The dispensing head may
comprise a pumping system that can be actuated by the user, and a
second valve. In one version, the dispensing head with a pumping
system may comprise, on the one hand, a fixed dispensing part
attached to the container, which comprises a second valve able to
close off the communication between the container and the
dispensing channel, and on the other hand, a moving portion forming
a pumping system activated by the user: the dispensing channel is
then located between two valves, one attached to the container and
the other attached to the moving portion of the dispensing head. In
this version the dispensing channel comprises a pumping chamber
that can be sealed off by the second valve, and a passage that
connects the pumping chamber to the outside. In this version of the
dispensing head the moving portion may be removable from the fixed
part. In a different version, the dispensing head comprises a
deformable part located opposite a chamber that the user presses to
pump the product; in this case, the dispensing channel includes the
pumping chamber and is also located between two valves. Various
types of known dispensers to which the present invention can be
applied, are illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 8 attached.
The stopper-seating closure system allows almost no ingress of air
through itself. Consequently, the product remaining in the
dispensing channel has practically no contact with air after being
dispensed. This avoids much of the risk that the dispensed product
might become degraded by contact with the air, either by oxidation
or by microorganisms. It has been found, however, That the
dispensed product may still become slightly degraded by oxidation
or microorganisms, and that it may consequently lose some of its
qualities.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a dispenser in which this risk of
degradation is eliminated, by making at least part of the surfaces
of the dispensing head, with which the dispensed product is in
contact while inside the dispensing channel, of a synthetic polymer
material capable of releasing an antiseptic and/or antioxidant
agent. The said material will be referred to hereinafter as the
"aseptic material".
Thus, the subject of this invention is a dispenser for at least one
liquid or pasty product, comprising a container for the product and
a dispensing head with a dispensing channel that connects the
container to an external dispensing orifice. The channel is fitted
at the level of the dispensing orifice with a closure system that
allows no ingress of air, comprising two elements: a stopper and
its seating. At least one of those elements is made of an elastic
material. The dispenser is characterized in that at least part of
the surfaces of the dispensing head at the end of the dispensing
channel is made of a synthetic polymer material capable of
releasing at least one antiseptic agent and/or at least one
antioxidant agent.
According to this invention, the product remaining inside the
dispensing channel between two dispensations is in contact with the
synthetic polymer material capable of releasing the antiseptic
agent(s) and/or the antioxidant agent(s); the product is thus
subjected to the action of these agents, and this prevents any
degradation of the product dispensed by air oxygen or air
impurities that might have made their way into the channel at the
time of dispensing.
In the dispenser conforming to this invention, the dispensing head
preferably comprises, a fixed part attached to the container, this
fixed part comprising a valve that can close off the communication
between the container and the dispensing channel, and a moving
portion comprising a pumping system that can be actuated by the
user. In this dispenser with two valves, namely the closure system
itself and the valve in the fixed part, that part of the dispensing
channel between the two valves contains none of the product before
the first dispensation, and the product to be dispensed is thus not
in contact with the antiseptic agent(s) and/or antioxidant agent(s)
during storage, before the first dispensation. Thus, before the
first dispensation, any action of the antiseptic(s) and/or
antioxidant(s) during prolonged storage of the dispenser is
avoided.
The moving portion of the dispensing head can, preferably be
removed from the fixed part. This makes it possible to market
refills consisting of the container and the fixed part of the
dispensing head; refills to which the user can fit the removable
portion of the dispensing head.
In accordance with this invention, it suffices for part of the
surfaces of the dispensing head that form the dispensing channel to
be made of an aseptic material, the said part being, preferably,
located at the end of the dispensing channel, close to the
dispensing orifice. When the dispensing head comprises a moving and
a fixed portion, the surfaces made of aseptic material are,
preferably, situated in that part of the dispensing channel located
within the moving portion, constituting the end of the dispensing
channel. For this purpose, the whole of at least one of the pieces
forming the channel may be made of the aseptic material. It can be
advantageous for the surface(s) made of aseptic material to form
part of at least one insert in one of the components forming the
channel.
According to the invention, the term `antiseptic` is to be
understood as any agent that can destroy or inhibit the development
of microorganisms such as bacteria, microbes, molds or fungi. The
antiseptic agent is preferably a water-soluble copper, zinc or
silver salt, more particularly copper sulphate, zinc sulphate or
silver sulphate. The antiseptic agents used in the aseptic material
represent quantities ranging from 0.01 and 50% by weight of the
synthetic polymer material. In effect, when the product is being
used, the low mobility of the metallic ions used ensures that the
quantity of ions dissolved in the composition dispensed represents
an extremely low dose, of the order of magnitude generally used in
homeopathy.
The antioxidant agent is preferably chosen from among the group
consisting of gentisic, homogentisic, pidolic, ascorbic, or citric
acids. For preference, the antioxidant is used in amounts ranging
from 0.01 to 50% by weight relative to the weight of the synthetic
polymer material.
The antiseptic agent(s) and/or antioxidant agent(s) may be
incorporated directly in the material from which a component is
fabricated, at least one surface of which defines the dispensing
channel. The aseptic material are preferably introduced in the form
of a support impregnated with the said agent(s). The support can be
chosen from among porous products forming a group that comprises
minerals such as silica, limestone, the zeolites and clays, or a
group that comprises organic materials such as sawdust or powdered
wood, starch or cellulose. The support may be in powdered or
fibrous form, and is generally impregnated by immersion in an
aqueous solution of the antiseptic and/or antioxidant agent(s),
followed by drying. The impregnated support represents, preferably,
2 to 70% by weight of the synthetic material.
The antiseptic and antioxidant agent(s), whether or not absorbed
into a support, may be incorporated in an elastic material, in
particular that constituting the part of the dispensing head which
forms the elastic stopper of the closure system, or, preferably, in
a rigid material, in particular that constituting the part forming
the seating of the closure system, when this is rigid. The said
rigid material is preferably a thermosetting polymer, in particular
a phenoplastic or aminoplastic resin, and more especially a
urea-formaldehyde resin for the rigid parts. The elastic material
is preferably an elastomer.
The present invention also concerns a preservation process for a
liquid or pasty product that has to be protected against
degradation by oxidation or by the action of microorganisms during
the phase when the said product is being dispensed, characterized
in that the said product is packaged in a dispenser as defined
above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
To make the subject of the invention more clear, several versions
as shown on the attached drawings will be described below, as
purely illustrative and non-limiting examples.
In the drawings:
FIGS. 1 to 3 show longitudinal sections of three pump-type
dispensers in which the closure system is a lip-type system; FIG.
1a is a variant of the dispenser in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a dispenser with a flexible container activated by
squeezing the flexible container.
FIGS. 5 and 6 show dispensers in which the stopper consists of an
elastic component, part of which is opposite the outlet of the
channel and moves away from its rigid seating parallel to the flow
direction of the product.
FIGS. 7 and 8 show a dispenser in which the stopper consists of a
wedge on a flexible dome.
FIGS. 1 to 6 show dispensers with airtight closures as described in
EP-A 410 857.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1 and 1a show a dispenser 1 with a container 2 holding the
product to be dispensed and a dispensing head 3. The said head 3
consists of a fixed part 3a and a moving part 3b. The fixed part 3a
consists of an attachment-piece 15 fixing the head 3 to the
container 2 and a pump 4 attached to the container 2 by means of
the attachment-piece 15. The pump body 5 contains a compressed
spring 6 and communicates with the container 2 via a valve 7 whose
ball is acted upon by the spring 6. The piston 8 of the pump 4 is
hollow. To the piston 8 is attached a pushbutton 9, which enables
the piston 8 to be pushed into the body of the pump 5 by manual
pressure on the push-button 9. The hollow piston 8 of the pump 4
and the push-button 9 constitute the moving portion 3b of the
dispensing head. The push-button 9 consists, in sequence, of a
support 10 made of a rigid material, a lamina 11 made of an elastic
material, and a cover 12 made of a rigid material. A groove 14 is
formed in the cover 12. The dispensing channel 13 is demarcated by
the body 5 of the pump 4, the hollow piston 8, the elastic lamina
11 and the cover 12. In the version shown, the piston 8 extends up
to the cover 12 and a recess 16 formed in the upper edge of the
piston 8 allows the bore of the piston 8 to communicate with the
groove 14 or be cut off from it by rotating the push-button. The
closure system F consists of a lip 11a consisting of the thin edge
of the elastic lamina and by a seating 12a formed of a flat surface
at the edge of the cover 12. According to this invention, the pump
body 5, the piston 8 and the cover 12 are made of a
urea-formaldehyde resin marketed by PERSTROP, containing 70% of
cellulose as the filler; impregnated into this filler is a mixture
(33:33:33) of copper sulphate and zinc sulphate as antiseptic
agents, and citric acid as an antioxidant agent, using an aqueous
solution saturated in these three constituents. The impregnation is
followed by a drying phase. One could just as well have only the
cover 12 made of a rigid plastic material containing and releasing
an antiseptic and/or antioxidant, or only an insert 12b in the
cover 12 made of aseptic urea-formaldehyde (see FIG. 1a). The
product remaining inside the groove 14 after the dispensation is
thus in contact with the aseptic material, and this avoids any risk
that the said product will deteriorate.
FIG. 2 shows a dispenser in which the closure system F consists of
the lip 111a of a lamina 111 made of an elastic material, which
rests against the seating 110a of a component 110 supporting the
lamina 111. The container 102 is a flexible tube protected by a
rigid casing 102a. The dispensing head 103 is fixed to the neck of
the tube 102 by means of an attachment-piece 115 between the neck
102 of the tube and the edge of the rigid casing 102a. The
push-button 109 slides along an axial track 115a closed off by a
flap valve 107. The push-button 109 consists of the support 110
carrying the seating 110a, and the elastic lamina 111 carrying the
stopper consisting of the lip 111a. A groove 114 is formed in the
support 110. The support 110 has two concentric cylindrical skirts:
110c and 110b. The skirt 110c, of smaller diameter, makes a
leakproof slide fit over the shaft 115a and so demarcates a pump
body 105. A return spring 106 is located between the two skirts
110c and 110b between the push-button 109 and the upper edge of a
skirt 115c of the attachment-piece. The dispensing channel 113 is
demarcated by the shaft 115a, the pump body 105, the groove 114 and
the lamina 111 opposite the said groove. In accordance with the
invention, the support 110 is made of the same ureaformaldehyde
resin as that described for the assembly (5, 8, 12) of FIG. 1. This
avoids any degradation of the product remaining inside the groove
114 and the pump body 105 after dispensation.
FIG. 3 shows a dispenser comprising a flexible container 202 inside
a rigid casing 202a. The dispensing head 203 is attached to the
flexible envelope 202 and to the container 202a by a support 210.
This support incorporates the seating 210a of the closure device F.
At its center there is an opening 210b, over which is fitted a
bell-type non-return valve 207. A lamina 211 made of an elastic
material and incorporating the stopper 211a rests against the
support 210. At its center, the lamina 211 has a zone 211b that is
thinner and dome-shaped. A groove 214 is formed in the lamina 211.
Over the lamina 211 is fitted a cover 212 which serves to constrain
the lamina and is provided with an opening 212a to allow the dome
211b of the lamina 211 to pass through. Thus, under the dome 211b
there is a space forming a pump chamber 205 when the user presses
the dome 211b. The dispensing channel 213 consists of the pump
chamber 205 and the groove 214. In accordance with the invention,
the support 210 is made of a resin as defined earlier for the
support 110 of the version shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 concerns a dispenser for two different products. It consists
of a container 302 made of an elastic material and divided into two
compartments A and B by a central partition 302a. A dispensing head
303 comprises a support 310 attached to the container 302 and the
partition 302a. The base of the support 310 fitted to the container
302 has two openings 310d and 310e. The support 310 has a partition
310c forming an extension of the partition 302a and having two
seatings 310a and 310b arranged symmetrically. Over the partition
310c is fitted, like the finger of a glove, a component 311 made of
an elastic material in which two symmetrical grooves 314a and 314b
are formed. Opposite the seatings 310a and 310b, the component 311
has thinned portions forming stoppers 311a and 311b so as to
constitute closure systems FA and FB. The component 311 is
surrounded by a cover 312 that acts to constrain the elastic
component 311. The two dispensing channels 313a and 313b consist of
the two openings 310d, 310e and the grooves 314a and 314b. In
accordance with the invention, the support 310 is made of a resin
such as that defined earlier for the support 110 of the version
shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 shows a dispenser in which the stopper consists of an
elastic component, one part of which is opposite the outlet of the
dispensing channel. The dispensing head shown in FIG. 5 consists of
an ovoid component 410, in which a channel 413 with two mutually
perpendicular sections is formed. The ovoid component 410 has a
peripheral groove 410a in which an elastic toroid 411 is inserted.
At the level of the outlet of the channel 413, the component 411
has a recess forming a lip 411a that rests against a seating 410b
consisting of a section of the groove 410a. Thus, the closure
system F consists of the lip 411a and its seating 410b. In
accordance with the invention, the ovoid component 410 is molded
from a resin identical to that used for the support 110 in the
version of FIG. 2.
FIG. 6 shows a dispenser comprising a flexible tube 502 contained
in a rigid casing 502a. To the edge of the rigid casing 502a is
attached a dispensing head 503; the flexible tube 502 is fixed to a
skirt forming part of the dispensing head 503. The dispensing head
comprises a support 510 and a cover 512. The cover holds in place
an elastic component 511, part of which 511a is dome-shaped while
another part 511b cooperates with a partition 510b of the support
510 to form a first valve. The channel 513 thus has a first segment
513a close to the said first valve, a pump chamber 513b under the
elastic dome 511a and a part 513c formed in the support 510. This
part opens into a groove 515 formed both in the support 510 and the
cover 512. A toroidal stopper 511 is inserted into the groove 515,
so that the closure F consists of a section 511c of the stopper and
the edge 512a of the groove 515 in the cover 512. In accordance
with the invention, the support 510 is molded from a resin
identical to that used for the support 110 of the version shown in
FIG. 2.
FIGS. 7 and 8 show a dispenser such as that described in FR-A 2 660
877 in which the closure device F consists of a wedge fitted on a
flexible dome, such that the wedge cooperates with a rigid border.
The dispenser consists of a container 602 to which a dispensing
head 603 is attached while able to rotate. This dispensing head 603
consists of a support 610, a cover 612, and an elastic component
held between the support 610 and the cover 612. The elastic
component 611 comprises a dome-shaped area 611a on which there is a
wedge 611b which passes through an opening 612a in the cover. The
dispensing channel 613 consists of a shaft 610a of the support with
an internal bore, and a zone located between the cover and the
elastic component 611. The closure system F is formed by the wedge
611b which cooperates with the edge of the opening 612a in the
cover. In accordance with the invention, the cover is molded from a
resin such as that defined for the support 110 in the version of
FIG. 2.
* * * * *